'Being tough doesn't have to be how invincible you are, being tough can be showing your vulnerabilities and wanting to improve yourself.'

An artist has created a deeply personal comic strip about his battle with alcohol addiction and depression, and the struggles of internalising his feelings as a man.

Luke Humphris, who is originally from Brisbane, Australia, but now lives in Toronto, Canada, said he created the comics to help him deal with issues in life - including the fact that, as a man, he is expected to stay strong and deal with any situation.

He said when he put his feelings on paper and acknowledged they existed, he began to feel like he could finally take control.

Luke Humphris

In his comic, Humphris talks about how he was affected by witnessing someone take their own life, but typical notions of masculinity - or "toxic masculinity" as he calls it - meant he was unable to talk to anyone about it.

"I remember everyone panicking and calling ambulances. But they were already dead," he wrote. "A few days later I found out I knew who they were. I did not tell their family that I was there. I did not go to the funeral."

"It's hard for me to talk about," he added.

Humphris, who has also tragically lost his mum and brother to suicide, said witnessing someone take their own life was a real turning point for him.

He explained that society expects men to mute their feelings if something bad has happened and simply "stay strong".

But Humphris is determined to change that.

"I believe the best thing to do is to not feel pressured to what everyone else defines as masculine," he told The Huffington Post UK.

"It's up to you to decide what sort of person you want to be and what traits you hold as meaningful.

"Being tough doesn't have to be how invincible you are, being tough can be showing your vulnerabilities and wanting to improve yourself."